As she grabbed a hand towel, her dad leaned toward her ear and whispered. “Look who just walked in.”
Jodi jerked her gaze up and saw Tuck making his way through the light Monday night crowd toward her. It was only about six, so most people hadn’t made it out yet.
She couldn’t move a muscle as he approached. His body made her breath hitch like it always did, but his face was drawn up in an unusual expression she couldn’t read. It made her very nervous. If he came here to tell her he changed his mind and didn’t think things would work out between them, she might curl into a ball behind the bar, to hell with who saw her.
Her dad lifted the end of the bar and nudged her forward. “Take him upstairs, hon.”
Jodi finally moved to duck under her dad’s arm. She wasn’t sure what to do when Tuck reached her. She stared at him, words stuck in her throat, emotions all over the place, her hands fisting and unfisting at her sides.
Tuck hesitated a moment, searching her face. Finally, he tucked a loose lock of hair behind her ear, smoothed his palm over her cheek in a way she’d longed for him to do for so many nights, and then pulled her into his arms.
He held her so tight, she couldn’t breathe. His face was buried in her hair. He rocked her back and forth gently for a long time, and then he whispered. “I’m so sorry. I’m such an idiot.”
She had no idea what he was talking about, but he was here. He was late, but he was here.
“Can we go upstairs?” he asked in a low voice.
“Yes. Of course.” She released him and turned around to lead him up to her apartment.
He let his hands slide down her arms but he kept one of her hands in his as he followed her, never letting go.
When they got to the apartment, he shut the door behind him and hauled her closer again, his hand on her head, pressing her against his chest. It seemed like his world had ended and he needed comforting.
She was confused, but she didn’t say a word. It felt so good to be in his arms that she didn’t want to break the spell.
“I’m in love with you,” he told the top of her head, shocking her. She’d expected them to exchange those words fairly quickly, but after today, she wasn’t sure she’d ever see him again, so hearing him say that almost right off the bat confused her even more.
She tipped her head back to meet his gaze. “I’m in love with you too, Tuck. Are you okay?”
He shook his head. “Not even close.” He finally released her enough for her to breathe normally, but he rubbed his hands up and down her arms. “My mom died.”
She gasped, her eyes going wide. “Oh, God. I’m so sorry. When?”
“Last night. While I was on the set.”
She swallowed. That long ago? Why didn’t he call?
He groaned and tipped his head back to stare at the ceiling. “Nick was right.”
“Nick? Who’s Nick? I heard the host of Cold Feet mention him last night on the show. The security guy. Did you know him outside of the show?”
Tuck dropped his face again. “Yes. He’s one of my good friends. SEAL. I had a beer with him about an hour ago. He’s the reason I was on the show. He was in love with the assistant producer, so he asked me if I wanted to jump in as the groom.”
Jodi forced a slight smile. “Did you kill him this afternoon?”
Tuck smiled. “No. Considered it a few times.”
“What was he right about?” she urged.
“I told him I didn’t want my relationship with you to start out on a sad note. That I wanted to get past this stage before I called you. He said you would have dumped me before I finished explaining myself.”
Jodi frowned. “He was right. Why would you want to keep something like this from me?”
Tuck drew in a long breath. “Like I said, I’m an idiot. I spent all night dealing with my mom and the coroner and then getting almost no sleep before meeting with the funeral home. I’ve never been so tired. I guess I’m not making good decisions. I’ve cried more in the last few days than I have in my entire life. I’m not usually so emotional. It’s not the me I wanted you to meet right off the bat. I didn’t want you to think I was weak or something.”
Jodi bit into her lower lip to keep from crying herself. “Oh, Tuck. Jesus. I’m not that shallow.”
“I know you’re not. I was just scared.”
“I love you. I want to be with you through anything life throws at you. I want to hold your hand and kiss away your pain and listen to you as you work through the sorrow.”
“You’re amazing.” He brushed another lock of hair from her face and then surprised her when he reached up and tugged the clip from her hair, letting the curls fall down her back and over her shoulders. “I’ve wanted to do that for a month.”
She swallowed, lifted up on her tiptoes, cupped his face, and brought her lips to his. She kissed him with every ounce of emotion she felt, tipping her head to one side and opening her mouth when he grabbed her with both hands at her waist and tugged her closer. His tongue slid along the seam of her lips, demanding she let him in.
She didn’t hesitate. She let him take over as he smoothed his hands up her back, buried them in her hair, and deepened
